Improve Your Health & Your Home’s Indoor Air Quality

At Bradley Mechanical, we have over 50 years of experience solving home performance issues. Indoor air quality (IAQ) is probably the most common performance issue we encounter, as it impacts your and your family’s health. Poor air quality can cause uncomfortable living conditions — especially for those who suffer from asthma or allergies. That’s why it’s our top priority to help our customers breathe easier with reliable and effective service.

What Causes Poor Indoor Air Quality?

Poor IAQ can be caused by a number of issues, including:

• Excessive or uncontrolled moisture. Whether the moisture is seeping in from a wet crawl space, basement, attic or your pipe system, it can harbor mold and mildew, significantly impacting your indoor air quality.
• Leaky ductwork. Old ductwork can pick up particles from attics and crawl spaces, making them airborne. Additionally, old duct boards can break down into fiberglass pieces, causing irritation if inhaled.
• Broken or old HVAC system. When your HVAC unit is outdated or in need of repair, it isn’t working properly to circulate your air and is more likely to push additional dust and debris into the air you breathe.
• Construction. If you’re undergoing a home renovation or there’s nearby construction happening in your neighborhood, it’s likely impacting your IAQ.
• Building materials. Things like asbestos (more common in older homes), loose insulation, lead, pressed wood, and others can cause irritation, allergic reactions and other harmful health and respiratory problems.
• Household items. Although it may sound counterproductive, some cleaning products and personal or hygienic products can negatively impact indoor air quality and overall health. If you’re attempting to mask odors with candles, air wicks, or sprays like Febreze, the fumes and chemicals from these items can make the air quality worse and mask the true reasons for the poor air quality in the first place.
• Pets. We love them, but sometimes pets can make indoor air quality worse for the humans that live there. Even if no one is allergic, excessive pet hair and dander can impact air quality.

When Does Indoor Air Quality Become a Big Problem?

Indoor air quality can significantly impact comfort for all who live under the roof. The conditions can create especially adverse reactions if the inhabitants have asthma, allergies, COPD or compromised immune systems. If you or loved ones in your home are experiencing frequent respiratory problems, eye irritation, headaches, fatigue, congestion or dry throat, it’s likely due to poor IAQ.

Other signs of poor indoor air quality include, but are not limited to:

• High energy bills.
• High humidity levels in the area.
• Unpleasant odors around the home (think mold and mildew).
• Condensation appears on your windows, doors and mirrors.
• Excessive dust accumulation that doesn’t seem to go away.

Bradley Mechanical IAQ Testing

During your consultation with our home performance team, we’ll provide you with a thorough questionnaire. This will be invaluable in tracking down the cause of poor IAQ. A big question we ask clients is if their condition improves when they leave the space and go somewhere else. For example, if you find that you don’t have a stuffy nose or headache when you’re not at home, that’s a strong sign that your IAQ needs work.

We will use a variety of tools to test your IAQ and provide a thorough, detailed report showing our findings. If your IAQ can be improved with repairs or updates to your home’s performance systems, we will provide recommendations and an estimate.

Frequently Asked Questions